Wednesday, 23 April 2014

One of the Best Campaigns, One of the Worst

This Tuesday, the New York Police Department (@NYPDnews) encouraged its followers to tweet pictures of positive interactions between themselves and the public, using #myNYPD.

This was the kind of thing they were hoping for...

Instead, these are the kinds of images that were posted...

As someone who works in publicity, the thing that STUNNED me about this social media campaign was the lack of basic thought put into it. A couple of years ago, McDonalds did a similar campaign using #McDstories, asking customers to share their favorite McDonald's memories. Of course, thousands of horror stories about hairs and fingernails in food shortly came out and they had to shut it down. NYPD clearly didn't learn from McDonalds' mistake!

One thing brands need to be aware of, is how you can't control the public's response to the campaigns you create so it's best to play it safe- especially if you are as controversial as, say, the police or a fast food company.

Now on to something more positive...

At the beginning of this year, Swiffer decided to release the commercial below featuring:

1) A multiracial family, including a white man, a black woman and their two children

2) The husband/father, an amputee after losing his arm to cancer

3) HIM doing the household cleaning (Yes, not the woman!)

Although this commercial could have come across as contrived or too sentimental, it presented a genuine story of a loving family who actually benefit from this boring product that would perhaps otherwise garner zero attention.

One of the things I love about our current digital world is the creative, often awful, often fantastic ideas brands and companies come up with for their campaigns. Thought I'd share this as it's particularly relevant to my career and maybe some of yours out there!